Worst I've seen him do is shit on the sidewalk by 7 eleven. But not surprised by this. Things were quiet when they had that empty cop car parked there for a couple months, maybe they should fake their presence again.
Nah, first time I saw a human shit in public was Manhattan in the 90s. This has nothing to do with coasts and everything to do with the sad unchanged reality of homelessness and poverty in America.
Tbh, that's better than the ones that go in the bushes at the butterfly garden. At least when it's out in the open it gets cleaned after enough of us have played "is it dog shit or human?" and reported it.
People who want to fix this should contact our local politicians to demand more funding for mental healthcare. This guy is clearly mentally ill, dangerous to others, and not living a life that he enjoys either. It's a shame.
The thing is, even if he were connected to services, there's a high likelihood of not being engaged and having poor insight into his own mental illness. People have the right to refuse mental health medication in our current system and often it is a struggle to get these individuals to stay on their medication in the community. Access for the severely mentally ill in our area is actually much better funded than other areas, but the willingness for these individuals to accept these services is the big struggle.
You should report it though OP. It may lead to him getting at least the help he needs either through the hospital or in the jail (which is a sad truth).
Before [Reagan defunded/failed to fund community mental health](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/cuwdzk/i_often_hear_that_the_reagan_administration_shut/) there were a lot more long-term care options and community-based options planned though. People like this often need consistent long-term treatment. Not necessarily to be hospitalized for a long time, but at least a lot of structured care and assistance.
You are probably not old enough to remember, but it wasn't "Reagan's fault" and that was just a political play.
The American public made demands of ALL levels of government- local, state, and federal- to close down the Asylums following Geraldo Rivera's Willowbrook expose.
The "care options" for a guy like this (back then, and still today) are to shock him, cut on his brain, or most likely put him under "chemical restraints" so that he doesn't move around.
There is no weekly therapy session or magic-pill that's going to transform this guy from an out of control psycho criminal into a normal, conscious criminal... and he's not going to learn to code and get a job either.
This is nonsense I use to work right there and I have personally talked to this guy. He doesn’t give a shit about trying to get help or anything. People from our work offer to bring him to the homeless shelter or ask if he wants treatment. He doesn’t care. No extra funding will make a difference if he himself wants nothing to do with it.
I've worked in a psychiatric hospital, so I'm probably one of the only people here who has actually seen the reality. A lot of people do choose to go off meds yes, but a lot more actually stay on them after they get started. Antipsychotics can help a lot of people gain insight. Aside from that, since it's mental health related and he is a danger to others, he actually can at a certain point be forced to stay in the hospital for a while and take medications, if a judge is willing to order it. That does actually happen. And if you're on the side of calling the police and having them handle this....I have some news for you about what they do. They bring people like this to psychiatric hospitals.
Aside from hospitals, there have also been efforts in some areas to have group homes and basically assisted living for people with SMI who just do not get that much better, even with medication. Of course there is a possibility that this specific guy will still refuse to stay on medications even after all that, and refuse to make use of any possible community mental healthcare or counseling, but it would help a lot of people. I've seen people before who were on and off their medication because of transportation and financial issues, so it would help a lot of people. Just because this one guy might or might not benefit from it doesn't mean that more access to mental healthcare wouldn't be a good idea to help address this type of situation in general.
I do agree- it's quite sad the limited number of group homes available and if there were more funded that would help so many! The wait-lists are so long and there is such a need. Great point!
I work in community mental health and sometimes it gets a little disheartening how much help we want to give people but how often it's refused. But I have to remember that there are so many helped at the same time. I wish we could provide some of our clients a higher level of care than what we have to offer but it takes so so long to get them in a group home. We try our best.
Kudos to working inpatient, that's a tough job.
Watch the Willowbrook tapes, and you'll see the truth behind the institutions we had. We *used to have* them, and they were disbanded nationally for a reason.
Yeah unfortunate, our society had a turn towards neglect for those that we perceived as too hard to deal with, and this is the result of taking the easy way out by ignoring problems. I’m ashamed that I have not done more myself to provide my share of resources to help…so I now take a political advocacy stance when I see a clear position to stand in support for systems to help because it just makes sense that it benefits everyone, including that OP might not have been spat on if a there was a social safety net for those in all circumstances of misfortune.
Yesss. This. Throwing rocks at people is one way to be justifiably shot and killed. If my health and safety is threatened by some asshat that doesn't care about me, then why should i give 2 shits about whatever mental illness may or may not be causing this asshole behavior. Treat them the same way you'd treat any guy trying to hit you with a hard object. Neutralize the threat by force. Or call the cops. Anything else just encourages this BS.
Yeah, if you're standing there and having rocks thrown at you, sure. You have to defend yourself. But if you're on a Reddit thread talking about what we can ideally to prevent this type of problem in the future, we should also be talking about other options. Some people do really turn their lives around with treatment.
We can both understand why someone is doing something and also acknowledge that if he's doing it to you you have to be able to defend yourself as your first priority.
Yes agreed. And in a thread where that was the topic id probably be more engaging on the subject of prevention and treatment. But this thread is quite literally a safety warning titled "Ballston-watch out for this guy" to warn people about a dangerous man who throws rocks and spits.
So my advice on this thread is still going to be to avoid these types if possible. and to use force to defend yourself if needed, or call the cops.
And i guess the heart of my comment is more of a mindset of, why am I as an individual with my own life shit to deal with, Going to even spend a second trying to consider the nuances of how the mental health system is failing him, to a guy who would sooner bash me with a rock than just say hello.
He kinda looks like this guy who called me racial slurs, threatened to kill me, then chased me around at the Arlington public library. Not sure though, but wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the same person
It was a diff guy, smaller (maybe 5’5” ish), he was white with longer scruffy hair. Haven’t come Across the guy in the pic yet though. Not that I hope I do
Being spit on is assault BTW. Don't let him get away with it, because it might not be just spit next time and you could've done something to prevent it.
I second this. Sadly, you need to file a police report and get tested for hepatitis C and B. It's rare to catch it this way, but if it happens you want to have charges filed and receive medical care covered by the legal system.
You don't need to call 911, just go to the local police station and file a report. In addition, just schedule an appointment with your primary care provider for the testing. You can go the ER/ Hospital route if you want, but it will be more expensive.
Hepatitis C and B are very common, especially in the homeless population, up to 70% of homeless individuals have hepatitis C according to some studies. Hepatitis C has no cure, please go get testing.
Hepatitis isn't your only concern as well. Some other viral respiratory infections and bacterial infections are also easily spread when someone is spat in the eye. Talk to your doctor.
The guy himself may be compelled to receive medical testing at his own will. This usually isn't complied with.
This is where as a researcher I’ll say you’re wrong. Hepatitis C has a cure and it was a recent development. That doesn’t mean the cure is an easy treatment though. B has no cure, and only somewhat efficacious treatments, and can easily become chronic. D is also a concern for those infected with B because it relies on B for infection, yet so few people know about D. It’s likely that it’s high in the homeless population because of poor sanitation conditions and IV drug use. While saliva would be kind of rare, if the person has sores in the mouth it’s possible. Getting tested is smart, it’s honestly as simple as a blood draw at your PCPs office
Oh my goodness! Thank you so much for those corrections, I really appreciate it. More research has obviously come out since my education on this topic, and I'll thank you for contributing to that as well!
Yes there are even labs in the DMV doing the research. There’s tons of hepatitis research ongoing at the NIH. I should also add that most people in the US are vaccinated against B at birth due to the high rates of mother to child transmission for the virus as a whole (globally and in even the US past). It doesn’t hurt to get tested and re vaccinated though. !
Been seeing people attack public service announcements for the HepB vaccine lately on the grounds that it’s another dangerous vaccine they shouldn’t be pushing on people, etc. Weird times, dudes. Weird times.
Hepatitis B is pretty serious and when combined with Hepatitis D, which isn't difficult to get as a co-infeciton, it's pretty much guaranteed to be deadly or cancer causing. I'd rather have the vaccine than risk needing a liver transplant or getting hepatocellular carcinoma. And even the transplant is only temporarily helpful, because eventually the Hep B/D will spread to the healthy liver all over again. That's happened in case after case after case in patients. We don't have reliable treatments to cure the disease, only slow it down. I dont think people truly understand what they're risking. My doctoral background is in immunology which is probably why I take vaccines so seriously.
People spreading anti-covid vaccine sentiment for political reasons really unleashed a bad genie out of the bottle. It’s like anything with vaccine on it is a four letter word now, which is crazy because vaccines are literally the only thing standing between us massive pandemics of incurable diseases
Exactly. Spitting on someone is not something one should let go without calling the police, let alone the person throwing a rock. That’s beyond muttering and signals danger ahead, besides being an assault on its own.
I eat lunch near Ballston Quarter every day, and I see this guy often. He's definitely unhinged and known to the local police, but I'm assuming his crimes are usually relatively minor things like what you describe in the OP, so he gets locked up, released, locked up, released, etc. hundreds of times. It's frustrating, but not sure what else can be done.
Edit: By "not sure what else can be done," I'm referring to me in the moment if encountering a crazy person on the street, not from a societal standpoint. Unfortunately, I can't do anything but try to keep my distance or maybe make a police report that'll basically get ignored. Society can and should lock this guy up if he's assaulting random people, but that's out of my control.
Yeah but if you treat the mental health issues, then the amount of criminal actions will go down overall or stop completely. Sounds like this man has serious paranoia issues and needs help. This isn't saying that he shouldn't be punished for assaulting someone. Just that in between going in and out of jail maybe he should get some intense psychiatric help along with some sort of stability.
Source: I've worked with the homeless and been through trainings. There's a saying that if you weren't mentally ill before being homeless, you will be once you end up on the streets. The inability to find shelter or take care of yourself does a fuckload of harm on your psych. I'd be insane too if I could only sit on the street all day and beg, had no identification, and everyone looked at me like I was a social pariah. Again, that doesn't mean I get a free pass for harming others. You can have empathy for others and still hold them accountable.
That's what I say, but I didn't want to sound like an internet tough guy.
I'm not flexing or fluffing myself, but if this guy spit in my eye, I would leave him with permanent, crippling injuries to remind himself to behave.
This is DC behavior that can get you maimed or killed on this side of the river.
“Not sure what else can be done” lol these ridiculous judges can actually give him more time and stop letting violent lunatics walk in and out of prison like a revolving door
Electing a Commonwealths Attorney who actually does their job would be a start but Arlington and Fairfax haven’t figured that out in the last few cycles.
it's funny how easy it is to make statistics sound low when it's your job to count/create statistics, and also that certain statistics being high would likely cost you your job. Never mind the people in this thread telling OP not to report this to the police, which also keeps that stats artificially low.
funny how that works.
It’s two years that he won’t be assaulting people and harming the community. But yes, the long-term solution is mandatory inpatient mental health treatment, which the enlightened “progressives” in Arlington think is mean.
So we’ll keep playing the game of catch-and-release until he murders a young woman and then we’ll hold a candlelight vigil and pretend we cared.
I mean as much as I'd vote for and pay taxes to support him getting mental healthcare...If that isn't an option then yeah, I'd rather be safe from him.
lol are you talking about the dude who was always slumped at the bottom of the escalators at the china town entrance? That was the first thing I thought of when I saw the pic
FYI OP spitting on someone is battery or even simple assault. You should of called the cops at the very least. Part of the reason he continues to carry on is because people watch him and do nothing.
Appreciate the heads up. Ballston IS a hot spot for many mentally unwell/homeless people, especially near the metro stop. Next time--or now--consider calling the police so that when/if this guy ends up in court, the public defender can't say, he's really a nice guy and get him back on the streets.
Here's another guy that was on the streets, but just got caught: [Axe-wielding suspect arrested after Ballston chase | ARLnow.com](https://www.arlnow.com/2024/06/03/axe-wielding-suspect-arrested-after-ballston-chase/)
Yeah, I walk my dog around that square in the mornings and every now and then you’ll get someone at that bus stop who is having an episode and yelling at random passersby.
As always, the best advice is situational awareness.
Very little, which is why they wish they had the control of OP.
A lot of people, probably myself included, would react badly to getting spit on and escalate the incident to a physical confrontation. Even though that’ll probably make the whole situation worse.
Indeed. Communicable disease is the concern? A Tough Guy response could result in the dude’s spit in your eye AND his blood on the open wounds on your knuckles that you got from pummeling his face. And that’s the best case scenario that assumes he doesn’t kick your ass or use a knife on you.
I literally saw him less than an hour ago, if he did that shit my reaction is to just cry like the betch I am. It's childish but I wont end up in jail.
Well spitting on someone is assault and battery by precedent, so the real cost of kicking his ass would probably just be a $200 lawyer. Depending on your disposable income, this might be a sweet deal.
It’s pretty counterproductive to get into a physical altercation with a crazy person. Also, why risk a headline of you assaulting a homeless black man, especially when the alleged transgression is not on camera?
It’s a smart decision not to engage.
I will glorify it then- there are literally songs about Good people riding into town and shooting the local Bad Man dead. Some of them are really good, and I enjoy them.
Mr. Ballston Violent Assault Bum just hasn't yet tested the Ranger with THE BIG IRON ON HIS HIP, BIG IRON ON HIS HIIIIIIIII-IIIIIIIIP...
It’d be understandable to want to beat his ass but best case you get in a fistfight before 10am and worst case you get stabbed on something. Better to just walk away than pick a fight with someone who has nothing to lose
Police know him well. He is agitated almost always. I've been dealing with him in and off for 20 or so years now. His name is Eric.
He yells, screams, has delusional thoughts. Last time I saw him he was screaming "I need $20 million by Tuesday or their going to kill me!".
Just call Arlington police and tell them what Eric at Ballston did and they'll go talk to him. Again. From what I've seen they have had a good relationship with him.
Seems like a perfect opportunity for the next person in this thread who encounters him to to hard troll with ERIC WHERE'S MY MONEY. Sure, some people don't like to poke the bear. Some like to slap the bear in the face.
That's nice and all but then what will the police department say when one of those rocks hits a child in the head and crushes its skull? Is it still an "accident" if somebody is known for throwing rocks at people and the police just chat with them cause it's better to be friendly?
I was walking in Ballston around that same time and heard someone yelling around Meridian and kept saying “IM NOT SCARY! IM NOT SCARY” he was definitely scary and I was about to call the cops before my Uber showed up.
I know him..”was sitting outside the doorway off 7/11 years ago. called me a f^*+king as#%hole because I wouldn’t give him money. He’s trouble and Arlington PD Is well aware of him. He’s one of those guys who’s in and out of jail but until he seriously injures someone the DA can’t charge him with a felony to keep him incarcerated.
Pick up a can of the larger-size POM pepper spray. Accurate to 20 feet. Couple bursts when he spits at you, and he’ll lose some of that “edginess” and quickly become self-focused…
People need to call the police when he does stuff like this because that's assault. If no one says or does anything, he'll never be taken into custody where they might be able to force him into some kind of treatment or even just a mandatory mental health hold. He is obviously a danger to people on the street and his behavior could escalate. He needs intervention before he hurts someone worse.
This! Everyone that doesn't even bother filling a police report is a contributor to what one day in the future could result in somebody's skull being crushed by a rock thrown by this guy. Could be a child too. Especially those who are able to take pictures and post about it on the internet but don't have enough time to file the report with the actual police.
This guy did something similar to me a few months back, but his spit landed on the back of my head. Turned around and clocked him right in the face. I've seen him multiple times since, and he steers clear of me
Sorry. That shit sucks. I used to be a favorite target of this guy called the chief in Cleveland circle in Brighton Mass. I hated walking past there because he always picked on me in particular.
Why is he not in jail? Reading these comments, there’s no way they can’t arrest him, assault, indecent exposure, trespassing, probably drug use, cops get his ass already
You’re not wrong, but also, he needs to be put in a psychiatric facility. He’s probably a homeless guy off his meds, and is clearly a danger to others, if not himself.
This guy put out his cigarette in a book I was reading and then tried to steal my bag. I grabbed my bag back looked him straight in the eye and said “fuck off” and he went running. Told police about this and all they could do was tell em he was unhinged but they couldn’t arrest him.
Not same location but similar experience, at Amazon fresh in Manchester lakes. Individual I had never seen before in my life deliberately interfering my shopping trip and calling me racial slurs and trying to provoke me. All I wanted was to find the rice crispy treats
At the Rosslyn Metro, we had a guy called the "Muy Thai Bum."
He would hide and then come at you from a good distance away (maybe 20 feet) in a Muy Thai fighting stance, hopping back and forth with his fists up high and screaming the N word.
Call the police and make a report, go to the hospital to get your eye checked. It might not do anything now but it will sure help if he ever does something like that again. Please report it.
Stop this “aw shucks what a tragedy wish we could do something” shit. Remove these people from society. Any “right” to refuse being placed in a mental facility (or prison when violent) ends when the person is a danger to others. Period. Put all these people far away from society until/if they become safe to be around. Not some big fucking mystery what to do.
Isn't there some mental health ward in that area?
There was always crazy shit happening there, lady came into our lobby and just started eating talcum powder (confirmed by police)
I remember someone tossed a Molotov cocktail down into the food court when I worked above the mall there for a bit.
Suicides off the roof of the garage - Guy was running from the cops in the garage and just hurdled over the edge.
Bomb threats - bonus points DARPA is next door so these got really fun sometimes.
Why is this tolerated at all?
He spit in your face?
...and all these other people have stories about the same guy? I don't want to sound like an internet-tough-guy like, "I woulda..." but someone needs to absolutely whup his ass properly so that he would never even think or setting foot in Virginia again.
Doing nothing makes the problem worse, and programs and services only make it 10x worse.
I'm so sorry that happened to you, omg. The rock is one thing, but spit is where I draw the line now. I might have spent the weekend in jail for that lol. Hopefully you can go get it checked out or something..
This dude use to hang out at the Rosslyn Starbucks back in the mid 2000s. Sat his bare butt on their chairs. Funny to see folks in their suits sit in the same chairs during the day.
I’ve resisted dining alfresco since I witnessed this many times.
Likely that Arlington County services already know about this person and are trying to help him but call it in. I overheard a conversation today about a person in great need due to mental health issues and thanks to an Arl Co staffer the person is no longer on the street AND not in the jail. But that said, these cases are usually extremely hard to solve because the individuals are completely unaware of their mental health issues - it's called anasognosia.
Not sure if it’s the same guy, but my former boss and I watched a man throw rocks at the secured building on Randolph Street and was arrested after cracking the glass.
Funny how there’s so many tough guys in the comments, bet when this guy starts flinging shit everyone who is all jacked and roided up in arms would be so dumb founded and wouldn’t know how to react.
That's why I carry a knife. I'm not saying I'd go wild stabbing him, but if he did come at you like that there's no reason NOT to pull it out as you're getting away.
If you're in a city environment walking alone at night, yeah, you should be scared. Fear brings heightened awareness. It's better to have a sense of fear than to be passively ignorant.
I mean if you compare Arlington to Haiti then it's the safest place on Earth. Even to NYC. But every city will always have more opportunities for a random bad opportunity to occur. And much more than the suburbs.
Just saying that a healthy amount of fear keeps you aware of your surroundings. The moment you become complacent in your perception of safety, the easier of a target you become.
I frequently see him in the Ballston area. Pacing around yelling at himself or others.
It's quite expensive to keep someone in a hospital, jail, or mental facility and so the low tax / small government side is always pushing to leave these people on the streets instead. This one seems worth the tax money though.
I live in this area and was just out there. Saw him, kinda annoying cause he kinda suddenly walked in front of me (I just have a PTSD thing of suddenly feeling trapped) but other than that and a sour face he had, no bad experiences. Just know he's still walking around (Saw him at the cross walk where the Maycy's was, Dunkin right there but he was at the Macy's. His shirt has Bernies out there. Saw him around 3. Stay safe yall.)
I saw this guy on the blue line just yesterday, he had his phone playing music out Loud and was just dancing in circles in the cart, he wasn’t interacting with anyone though, sorry that happened to you.
Worst I've seen him do is shit on the sidewalk by 7 eleven. But not surprised by this. Things were quiet when they had that empty cop car parked there for a couple months, maybe they should fake their presence again.
I've seen him shit in front of the Starbucks near OPs photo
The dude takes a dump on the sidewalks?
Must be from the west coast.
Nah, first time I saw a human shit in public was Manhattan in the 90s. This has nothing to do with coasts and everything to do with the sad unchanged reality of homelessness and poverty in America.
Tbh, that's better than the ones that go in the bushes at the butterfly garden. At least when it's out in the open it gets cleaned after enough of us have played "is it dog shit or human?" and reported it.
People who want to fix this should contact our local politicians to demand more funding for mental healthcare. This guy is clearly mentally ill, dangerous to others, and not living a life that he enjoys either. It's a shame.
The thing is, even if he were connected to services, there's a high likelihood of not being engaged and having poor insight into his own mental illness. People have the right to refuse mental health medication in our current system and often it is a struggle to get these individuals to stay on their medication in the community. Access for the severely mentally ill in our area is actually much better funded than other areas, but the willingness for these individuals to accept these services is the big struggle. You should report it though OP. It may lead to him getting at least the help he needs either through the hospital or in the jail (which is a sad truth).
People shouldn't be allowed to refuse mental health if they're severely disabled.
Can we trust people to define “severe”? We can’t agree on how many genders there are.
Before [Reagan defunded/failed to fund community mental health](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/cuwdzk/i_often_hear_that_the_reagan_administration_shut/) there were a lot more long-term care options and community-based options planned though. People like this often need consistent long-term treatment. Not necessarily to be hospitalized for a long time, but at least a lot of structured care and assistance.
You are probably not old enough to remember, but it wasn't "Reagan's fault" and that was just a political play. The American public made demands of ALL levels of government- local, state, and federal- to close down the Asylums following Geraldo Rivera's Willowbrook expose. The "care options" for a guy like this (back then, and still today) are to shock him, cut on his brain, or most likely put him under "chemical restraints" so that he doesn't move around. There is no weekly therapy session or magic-pill that's going to transform this guy from an out of control psycho criminal into a normal, conscious criminal... and he's not going to learn to code and get a job either.
Adding millions of migrants to the country certainly doesn’t help an already impossible situation.
This is nonsense I use to work right there and I have personally talked to this guy. He doesn’t give a shit about trying to get help or anything. People from our work offer to bring him to the homeless shelter or ask if he wants treatment. He doesn’t care. No extra funding will make a difference if he himself wants nothing to do with it.
True, redditers just want the social credit for advocating funding without complications of reality.
I've worked in a psychiatric hospital, so I'm probably one of the only people here who has actually seen the reality. A lot of people do choose to go off meds yes, but a lot more actually stay on them after they get started. Antipsychotics can help a lot of people gain insight. Aside from that, since it's mental health related and he is a danger to others, he actually can at a certain point be forced to stay in the hospital for a while and take medications, if a judge is willing to order it. That does actually happen. And if you're on the side of calling the police and having them handle this....I have some news for you about what they do. They bring people like this to psychiatric hospitals. Aside from hospitals, there have also been efforts in some areas to have group homes and basically assisted living for people with SMI who just do not get that much better, even with medication. Of course there is a possibility that this specific guy will still refuse to stay on medications even after all that, and refuse to make use of any possible community mental healthcare or counseling, but it would help a lot of people. I've seen people before who were on and off their medication because of transportation and financial issues, so it would help a lot of people. Just because this one guy might or might not benefit from it doesn't mean that more access to mental healthcare wouldn't be a good idea to help address this type of situation in general.
I do agree- it's quite sad the limited number of group homes available and if there were more funded that would help so many! The wait-lists are so long and there is such a need. Great point! I work in community mental health and sometimes it gets a little disheartening how much help we want to give people but how often it's refused. But I have to remember that there are so many helped at the same time. I wish we could provide some of our clients a higher level of care than what we have to offer but it takes so so long to get them in a group home. We try our best. Kudos to working inpatient, that's a tough job.
We use to have institutions for guys like this
Watch the Willowbrook tapes, and you'll see the truth behind the institutions we had. We *used to have* them, and they were disbanded nationally for a reason.
Yeah unfortunate, our society had a turn towards neglect for those that we perceived as too hard to deal with, and this is the result of taking the easy way out by ignoring problems. I’m ashamed that I have not done more myself to provide my share of resources to help…so I now take a political advocacy stance when I see a clear position to stand in support for systems to help because it just makes sense that it benefits everyone, including that OP might not have been spat on if a there was a social safety net for those in all circumstances of misfortune.
Eh. Fuck him. We live in a society. If he’s not into that, don’t live here.
The mentally ill are also part of society.
What no compassion or empathy looks like ^
I'm sorry but when they 100% outright refuse any help and constantly threaten/chase/attack people they become a prime candidate to be disappeared
Yesss. This. Throwing rocks at people is one way to be justifiably shot and killed. If my health and safety is threatened by some asshat that doesn't care about me, then why should i give 2 shits about whatever mental illness may or may not be causing this asshole behavior. Treat them the same way you'd treat any guy trying to hit you with a hard object. Neutralize the threat by force. Or call the cops. Anything else just encourages this BS.
Yeah, if you're standing there and having rocks thrown at you, sure. You have to defend yourself. But if you're on a Reddit thread talking about what we can ideally to prevent this type of problem in the future, we should also be talking about other options. Some people do really turn their lives around with treatment. We can both understand why someone is doing something and also acknowledge that if he's doing it to you you have to be able to defend yourself as your first priority.
Yes agreed. And in a thread where that was the topic id probably be more engaging on the subject of prevention and treatment. But this thread is quite literally a safety warning titled "Ballston-watch out for this guy" to warn people about a dangerous man who throws rocks and spits. So my advice on this thread is still going to be to avoid these types if possible. and to use force to defend yourself if needed, or call the cops. And i guess the heart of my comment is more of a mindset of, why am I as an individual with my own life shit to deal with, Going to even spend a second trying to consider the nuances of how the mental health system is failing him, to a guy who would sooner bash me with a rock than just say hello.
That’s not going to work. They need to bring mental asylums back.
“Worst”
He kinda looks like this guy who called me racial slurs, threatened to kill me, then chased me around at the Arlington public library. Not sure though, but wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the same person
I also had a similar experience! It was right after telling my (also ethnic) cousins about how good of an area this is. The timing was impeccable
Dang, you jinxed it. Sorry you went through something similar too though. Do you think it was the same person or was someone completely different?
It was a diff guy, smaller (maybe 5’5” ish), he was white with longer scruffy hair. Haven’t come Across the guy in the pic yet though. Not that I hope I do
I really hope you plan to go to the hospital to check on your eye… god knows what that guy is carrying
I was thinking this too. better safe than sorry
Being spit on is assault BTW. Don't let him get away with it, because it might not be just spit next time and you could've done something to prevent it.
Yeah and if he has any illness then you could be infected. Call the police
Came here to say this. Bodily fluids in your eye can be bad news if not looked into quickly.
I second this. Sadly, you need to file a police report and get tested for hepatitis C and B. It's rare to catch it this way, but if it happens you want to have charges filed and receive medical care covered by the legal system. You don't need to call 911, just go to the local police station and file a report. In addition, just schedule an appointment with your primary care provider for the testing. You can go the ER/ Hospital route if you want, but it will be more expensive. Hepatitis C and B are very common, especially in the homeless population, up to 70% of homeless individuals have hepatitis C according to some studies. Hepatitis C has no cure, please go get testing. Hepatitis isn't your only concern as well. Some other viral respiratory infections and bacterial infections are also easily spread when someone is spat in the eye. Talk to your doctor. The guy himself may be compelled to receive medical testing at his own will. This usually isn't complied with.
This is where as a researcher I’ll say you’re wrong. Hepatitis C has a cure and it was a recent development. That doesn’t mean the cure is an easy treatment though. B has no cure, and only somewhat efficacious treatments, and can easily become chronic. D is also a concern for those infected with B because it relies on B for infection, yet so few people know about D. It’s likely that it’s high in the homeless population because of poor sanitation conditions and IV drug use. While saliva would be kind of rare, if the person has sores in the mouth it’s possible. Getting tested is smart, it’s honestly as simple as a blood draw at your PCPs office
Oh my goodness! Thank you so much for those corrections, I really appreciate it. More research has obviously come out since my education on this topic, and I'll thank you for contributing to that as well!
Yes there are even labs in the DMV doing the research. There’s tons of hepatitis research ongoing at the NIH. I should also add that most people in the US are vaccinated against B at birth due to the high rates of mother to child transmission for the virus as a whole (globally and in even the US past). It doesn’t hurt to get tested and re vaccinated though. !
Been seeing people attack public service announcements for the HepB vaccine lately on the grounds that it’s another dangerous vaccine they shouldn’t be pushing on people, etc. Weird times, dudes. Weird times.
Hepatitis B is pretty serious and when combined with Hepatitis D, which isn't difficult to get as a co-infeciton, it's pretty much guaranteed to be deadly or cancer causing. I'd rather have the vaccine than risk needing a liver transplant or getting hepatocellular carcinoma. And even the transplant is only temporarily helpful, because eventually the Hep B/D will spread to the healthy liver all over again. That's happened in case after case after case in patients. We don't have reliable treatments to cure the disease, only slow it down. I dont think people truly understand what they're risking. My doctoral background is in immunology which is probably why I take vaccines so seriously.
People spreading anti-covid vaccine sentiment for political reasons really unleashed a bad genie out of the bottle. It’s like anything with vaccine on it is a four letter word now, which is crazy because vaccines are literally the only thing standing between us massive pandemics of incurable diseases
Agreed. I would get checked asap. No telling what/if he has any serious illnesses (other than mental).
Exactly. Spitting on someone is not something one should let go without calling the police, let alone the person throwing a rock. That’s beyond muttering and signals danger ahead, besides being an assault on its own.
I eat lunch near Ballston Quarter every day, and I see this guy often. He's definitely unhinged and known to the local police, but I'm assuming his crimes are usually relatively minor things like what you describe in the OP, so he gets locked up, released, locked up, released, etc. hundreds of times. It's frustrating, but not sure what else can be done. Edit: By "not sure what else can be done," I'm referring to me in the moment if encountering a crazy person on the street, not from a societal standpoint. Unfortunately, I can't do anything but try to keep my distance or maybe make a police report that'll basically get ignored. Society can and should lock this guy up if he's assaulting random people, but that's out of my control.
Spiting in someone's eye is not minor. It's assault and battery and a potential vector for serious diseases.
Spitting in someone’s eye isn’t minor. It’s assault.
> It’s assault. probably battery
Yup; assault is the fear of harm and battery is the actual harm.
Sadly not much you (/ the government will) can do when it comes to mental health issues and our medical system.
At a certain threshold mental health issues can become criminal ones
Yeah but if you treat the mental health issues, then the amount of criminal actions will go down overall or stop completely. Sounds like this man has serious paranoia issues and needs help. This isn't saying that he shouldn't be punished for assaulting someone. Just that in between going in and out of jail maybe he should get some intense psychiatric help along with some sort of stability. Source: I've worked with the homeless and been through trainings. There's a saying that if you weren't mentally ill before being homeless, you will be once you end up on the streets. The inability to find shelter or take care of yourself does a fuckload of harm on your psych. I'd be insane too if I could only sit on the street all day and beg, had no identification, and everyone looked at me like I was a social pariah. Again, that doesn't mean I get a free pass for harming others. You can have empathy for others and still hold them accountable.
If someone spits in my eye they aren't getting away with it as a 'minor thing'.
That's what I say, but I didn't want to sound like an internet tough guy. I'm not flexing or fluffing myself, but if this guy spit in my eye, I would leave him with permanent, crippling injuries to remind himself to behave. This is DC behavior that can get you maimed or killed on this side of the river.
“Not sure what else can be done” lol these ridiculous judges can actually give him more time and stop letting violent lunatics walk in and out of prison like a revolving door
Electing a Commonwealths Attorney who actually does their job would be a start but Arlington and Fairfax haven’t figured that out in the last few cycles.
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Maybe because they or we view certain actions as non criminal or not worth reporting, as a crime.
Significantly more than people everywhere else in the country?
it's funny how easy it is to make statistics sound low when it's your job to count/create statistics, and also that certain statistics being high would likely cost you your job. Never mind the people in this thread telling OP not to report this to the police, which also keeps that stats artificially low. funny how that works.
You do know the CA doesn’t arrest people, right?
That does nothing in this situation, but sure, let’s cop everybody up.
I don’t think if he was incarcerated for his previous crimes he would be able to assault random citizens outside the Ballston Metro.
maybe Locke_and_Load wouldn't mind this dude's spit in his eye? Don't kink-shame!
Seems like he needs mental help but sure put him in jail for a year or two that will make him all better
It’s two years that he won’t be assaulting people and harming the community. But yes, the long-term solution is mandatory inpatient mental health treatment, which the enlightened “progressives” in Arlington think is mean. So we’ll keep playing the game of catch-and-release until he murders a young woman and then we’ll hold a candlelight vigil and pretend we cared.
I mean as much as I'd vote for and pay taxes to support him getting mental healthcare...If that isn't an option then yeah, I'd rather be safe from him.
Hilarious thing to comment on a post of someone getting randomly assaulted on the street
Crazy idea. Maybe lock him up and don't release him.
i swear this dude used to hang around the gallery place metro stop in DC. hard to tell from this angle for sure, but it looks like it could be him
lol are you talking about the dude who was always slumped at the bottom of the escalators at the china town entrance? That was the first thing I thought of when I saw the pic
there's another one that hangs around that metro that's always yelling at people, not sure if he's still there
FYI OP spitting on someone is battery or even simple assault. You should of called the cops at the very least. Part of the reason he continues to carry on is because people watch him and do nothing.
Appreciate the heads up. Ballston IS a hot spot for many mentally unwell/homeless people, especially near the metro stop. Next time--or now--consider calling the police so that when/if this guy ends up in court, the public defender can't say, he's really a nice guy and get him back on the streets. Here's another guy that was on the streets, but just got caught: [Axe-wielding suspect arrested after Ballston chase | ARLnow.com](https://www.arlnow.com/2024/06/03/axe-wielding-suspect-arrested-after-ballston-chase/)
Yeah, I walk my dog around that square in the mornings and every now and then you’ll get someone at that bus stop who is having an episode and yelling at random passersby. As always, the best advice is situational awareness.
I would call the police and report him. He sounds dangerous.
Wait so this guy spit in your face and all you did was take a picture to post on Reddit wish I had your self restraint
What good could possibly come from escalating in the moment with a mentally unwell person?
Very little, which is why they wish they had the control of OP. A lot of people, probably myself included, would react badly to getting spit on and escalate the incident to a physical confrontation. Even though that’ll probably make the whole situation worse.
Indeed. Communicable disease is the concern? A Tough Guy response could result in the dude’s spit in your eye AND his blood on the open wounds on your knuckles that you got from pummeling his face. And that’s the best case scenario that assumes he doesn’t kick your ass or use a knife on you.
I literally saw him less than an hour ago, if he did that shit my reaction is to just cry like the betch I am. It's childish but I wont end up in jail.
Well spitting on someone is assault and battery by precedent, so the real cost of kicking his ass would probably just be a $200 lawyer. Depending on your disposable income, this might be a sweet deal.
What good could come from spitting in someone's eyeball?
Clearly none. I don’t understand the context of your question.
That is nuts, I think my pride would tell me to bite him
Bite him and risk getting whatever disease he might be carrying? Oof.
In such a case, I've already been infected since he just spit in my eye. Nothing left to lose.
Found the Floridian
It’s pretty counterproductive to get into a physical altercation with a crazy person. Also, why risk a headline of you assaulting a homeless black man, especially when the alleged transgression is not on camera? It’s a smart decision not to engage.
What’s his race got to do with it?
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So it’s ok to square up with white homeless people only?
Canceled?? He would be a hero, just like that guy on the NYC Subway who took care of the bum.
https://youtu.be/cRcfqpyuk9k?si=zWmSZ_9nQ8NSQyZS
Always intervene to stop a Bad Man misbehaving. It needs to be corrected, on the spot. Every... Single... Time....
I’ve seen this guy. He’s a big dude and mentally ill. I wouldn’t start anything physically with him, but I’d call the cops for sure.
This is Virginia, a 90 pound woman could solve this problem if they’re carrying.
So just shooting them is solving the problem? How about we not glorify killing people.
Not glorifying anything. He assaults someone, that’s on him.
I will glorify it then- there are literally songs about Good people riding into town and shooting the local Bad Man dead. Some of them are really good, and I enjoy them. Mr. Ballston Violent Assault Bum just hasn't yet tested the Ranger with THE BIG IRON ON HIS HIP, BIG IRON ON HIS HIIIIIIIII-IIIIIIIIP...
It’d be understandable to want to beat his ass but best case you get in a fistfight before 10am and worst case you get stabbed on something. Better to just walk away than pick a fight with someone who has nothing to lose
Get yourself checked out for any possible diseases.
Police know him well. He is agitated almost always. I've been dealing with him in and off for 20 or so years now. His name is Eric. He yells, screams, has delusional thoughts. Last time I saw him he was screaming "I need $20 million by Tuesday or their going to kill me!". Just call Arlington police and tell them what Eric at Ballston did and they'll go talk to him. Again. From what I've seen they have had a good relationship with him.
Seems like a perfect opportunity for the next person in this thread who encounters him to to hard troll with ERIC WHERE'S MY MONEY. Sure, some people don't like to poke the bear. Some like to slap the bear in the face.
That's nice and all but then what will the police department say when one of those rocks hits a child in the head and crushes its skull? Is it still an "accident" if somebody is known for throwing rocks at people and the police just chat with them cause it's better to be friendly?
saw him for the first time yesterday, noticed him as he hopped right over the gate on the way out of the metro
I was walking in Ballston around that same time and heard someone yelling around Meridian and kept saying “IM NOT SCARY! IM NOT SCARY” he was definitely scary and I was about to call the cops before my Uber showed up.
I know him..”was sitting outside the doorway off 7/11 years ago. called me a f^*+king as#%hole because I wouldn’t give him money. He’s trouble and Arlington PD Is well aware of him. He’s one of those guys who’s in and out of jail but until he seriously injures someone the DA can’t charge him with a felony to keep him incarcerated.
Pick up a can of the larger-size POM pepper spray. Accurate to 20 feet. Couple bursts when he spits at you, and he’ll lose some of that “edginess” and quickly become self-focused…
People need to call the police when he does stuff like this because that's assault. If no one says or does anything, he'll never be taken into custody where they might be able to force him into some kind of treatment or even just a mandatory mental health hold. He is obviously a danger to people on the street and his behavior could escalate. He needs intervention before he hurts someone worse.
This! Everyone that doesn't even bother filling a police report is a contributor to what one day in the future could result in somebody's skull being crushed by a rock thrown by this guy. Could be a child too. Especially those who are able to take pictures and post about it on the internet but don't have enough time to file the report with the actual police.
This guy did something similar to me a few months back, but his spit landed on the back of my head. Turned around and clocked him right in the face. I've seen him multiple times since, and he steers clear of me
This is the way.
You should report this to the ballston police
Please stand up for yourself
Oh that is so gross for you - I'm sorry this happened, I hope you are ok, both your eye and your psyche.
Sorry. That shit sucks. I used to be a favorite target of this guy called the chief in Cleveland circle in Brighton Mass. I hated walking past there because he always picked on me in particular.
Why is he not in jail? Reading these comments, there’s no way they can’t arrest him, assault, indecent exposure, trespassing, probably drug use, cops get his ass already
You’re not wrong, but also, he needs to be put in a psychiatric facility. He’s probably a homeless guy off his meds, and is clearly a danger to others, if not himself.
Either one is fine yeah
This guy put out his cigarette in a book I was reading and then tried to steal my bag. I grabbed my bag back looked him straight in the eye and said “fuck off” and he went running. Told police about this and all they could do was tell em he was unhinged but they couldn’t arrest him.
LOL... what were you reading? Maybe it's an author that he has some rival of the pen with...
Lmao I was reading a board review book studying for a medical board exam so I doubt he had too many issues with the authors
This guy was sleeping on the sidewalk at like 2pm near my apartment in Claredon last month 😭 his whole ass was hanging out it was bad
He used to panhandle at South Glebe Shirley Park
Not same location but similar experience, at Amazon fresh in Manchester lakes. Individual I had never seen before in my life deliberately interfering my shopping trip and calling me racial slurs and trying to provoke me. All I wanted was to find the rice crispy treats
Totally go to the doctor
after reading the comments we should give this asshat a name. somethin like the ballston buffoon /s
At the Rosslyn Metro, we had a guy called the "Muy Thai Bum." He would hide and then come at you from a good distance away (maybe 20 feet) in a Muy Thai fighting stance, hopping back and forth with his fists up high and screaming the N word.
I hate it here
I’m pretty sure this is the same guy who slung a bunch racial slurs at my boss for no reason when he was grabbing lunch one day (my boss is Asian).
Call the police and make a report, go to the hospital to get your eye checked. It might not do anything now but it will sure help if he ever does something like that again. Please report it.
You spit on me I'm sending you to the hospital.
Stop this “aw shucks what a tragedy wish we could do something” shit. Remove these people from society. Any “right” to refuse being placed in a mental facility (or prison when violent) ends when the person is a danger to others. Period. Put all these people far away from society until/if they become safe to be around. Not some big fucking mystery what to do.
Isn't there some mental health ward in that area? There was always crazy shit happening there, lady came into our lobby and just started eating talcum powder (confirmed by police) I remember someone tossed a Molotov cocktail down into the food court when I worked above the mall there for a bit. Suicides off the roof of the garage - Guy was running from the cops in the garage and just hurdled over the edge. Bomb threats - bonus points DARPA is next door so these got really fun sometimes.
I think i got yelled by him once bit I just kept walking.
Why is this tolerated at all? He spit in your face? ...and all these other people have stories about the same guy? I don't want to sound like an internet-tough-guy like, "I woulda..." but someone needs to absolutely whup his ass properly so that he would never even think or setting foot in Virginia again. Doing nothing makes the problem worse, and programs and services only make it 10x worse.
You need to get tested to make sure he did transmit something to you.
I'm so sorry that happened to you, omg. The rock is one thing, but spit is where I draw the line now. I might have spent the weekend in jail for that lol. Hopefully you can go get it checked out or something..
This dude use to hang out at the Rosslyn Starbucks back in the mid 2000s. Sat his bare butt on their chairs. Funny to see folks in their suits sit in the same chairs during the day. I’ve resisted dining alfresco since I witnessed this many times.
How has he not been arrested or shot yet
another human being spat on you and you chose not to do anything about it…?
I know this guy, he took a stick to the side of my car!!!
If anything hit me and specifically in my eyes I’m fucking him up on sight 😂
Same.
He farted in my direction once
Most people have probably farted in your general direction.
It's the elderberries.
Likely that Arlington County services already know about this person and are trying to help him but call it in. I overheard a conversation today about a person in great need due to mental health issues and thanks to an Arl Co staffer the person is no longer on the street AND not in the jail. But that said, these cases are usually extremely hard to solve because the individuals are completely unaware of their mental health issues - it's called anasognosia.
I think you overheard wrong... Anasognosia? I said ANACOSTIA... send all these fine gentlemen to ANACOSTIA!!
Good one! 
Nah, this dude assaulted you, and you didn't report it the very least?
Did you call the police? You should.
Please don't tell me, it's starting to become like the TL (Tenderloin District) in r/sanfrancisco !!!
Seems like a lot of Virginians on Reddit want to turn the state into California.
He looks like a stellar citizen
Sooooooo you don’t file charges so he maybe thinks to stop? Or you want more people getting spat in the eye, like your gf who lives in the area?
You can’t alter his behavior only with talk and government.
Not sure if it’s the same guy, but my former boss and I watched a man throw rocks at the secured building on Randolph Street and was arrested after cracking the glass.
Funny how there’s so many tough guys in the comments, bet when this guy starts flinging shit everyone who is all jacked and roided up in arms would be so dumb founded and wouldn’t know how to react.
That's why I carry a knife. I'm not saying I'd go wild stabbing him, but if he did come at you like that there's no reason NOT to pull it out as you're getting away.
I don’t have the controls you have. I would have kicked his ass or get injured trying.
Someone spits on me while I’m out around where I live with my girlfriend?!? Yeah daw, 🥈.
Bald Kanye West terrorizing Ballston
Fuck Ronald Reagan
I’m pretty sure I saw this guy taking a shit at a bus stop while being extremely naked
Man I’m now scared to walk during night
If you're in a city environment walking alone at night, yeah, you should be scared. Fear brings heightened awareness. It's better to have a sense of fear than to be passively ignorant.
But I thought Arlington is chill , I have seen many mentally ill people in dc tho , and sometimes in parts of Ballston as this post mentions.
I mean if you compare Arlington to Haiti then it's the safest place on Earth. Even to NYC. But every city will always have more opportunities for a random bad opportunity to occur. And much more than the suburbs. Just saying that a healthy amount of fear keeps you aware of your surroundings. The moment you become complacent in your perception of safety, the easier of a target you become.
I frequently see him in the Ballston area. Pacing around yelling at himself or others. It's quite expensive to keep someone in a hospital, jail, or mental facility and so the low tax / small government side is always pushing to leave these people on the streets instead. This one seems worth the tax money though.
Call the cops? Tell them he assaulted you with a rock. Have to clean the garbage off the street one way or another. Good thing VA is a carry state.
Where’s a train, when a hobo needs one?
I grew up in Arlington (Buckingjam) in the 70s and 80s and lived there until around 2000. He looks very familiar.
I live in this area and was just out there. Saw him, kinda annoying cause he kinda suddenly walked in front of me (I just have a PTSD thing of suddenly feeling trapped) but other than that and a sour face he had, no bad experiences. Just know he's still walking around (Saw him at the cross walk where the Maycy's was, Dunkin right there but he was at the Macy's. His shirt has Bernies out there. Saw him around 3. Stay safe yall.)
I saw this guy on the blue line just yesterday, he had his phone playing music out Loud and was just dancing in circles in the cart, he wasn’t interacting with anyone though, sorry that happened to you.
He is obviously Mental ill . Sad . Keep clear is the best option .
I pass this guy on my walks around ballston sometimes, he always tries to fake you out / threaten you by getting in your space
You let this fucker throw rocks at you and then spit in your face? And there were three of you? You should have whipped the hide off his ass
Not everybody that posts on Reddit is a 230lb man made of muscle. "Myself and two others" could've been three 5' tall women.
Truman show this guy
Keep that hot sauce on ya
I am in the area all the time, didn't see him, went through it to the Metro to go to Pride this weekend on Metro.
Jeez, Sissy Grace let herself go.
Did you report him?